1) Rega Naia TT, 2) Aphelion2 cartridge, 3) Zesto SUT
TT with cart has noticeable tighter bass. SUT gives sound more volume (in the spacial sense).
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I'm really enjoying my Teac VRDS 701t Transport.
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Audionet Pre G2 and Amp 1, a very nice upgrade.
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My best addition was a pair of Klipsch Heresy one speakers that I picked up used and which turned out to be perfect mates for my Firstwatt F6 amp. Second was the discovery of Raspberry Pi Zero 2W small board computers, which can be configured with Ropieee software and made to serve as extraordinarily good Roon end points. In the wings, but not ready for judgment yet is the Elekit TU 8900 300 B/2A3 amp which I built this year and has opened the world of 300 B tubes to me. It is good but I have not decided if it betters my Firstwatt F6 yet. However, it does seem like an excellent mate for my Lii audio F-15 open baffle speakers.
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Borrensen x1 monitor speakers, tsakadiris Alexander tube preamp upgraded with mullard tubes.Puron tweak.
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Big rig didn’t change at all; it’s exactly where it needs to be and at this point I’m more likely to mess it up than anything.
Small rig (office system) continued to be my "sanbox" for a 2nd year, and I went through a TON of stuff. It’s setlling down now, and has ended up with a couple old favorites from past iterations of the big rig.
- Ortofon SPU was my favorite "new find" and a good daily driver for focusing on the "passion" of music rather than the "details". Carries some of the aspects I love about Koetsu. Nothing fancy, just basic Classic models. Their combination with Hagerman Piccolo Zero head-amp (cheap at $270) is a revalation!
- Re-bought my old Tannoy Canterbury SE speakers (I run GR in the main rig). Surprisingly, they work wonderfully in a smaller room!
- Meridian digital (500 CD transport, 808, UltraDAC). I really like these for digital playback; they are not as sterile sounding as most DACs, and can hang with good vinyl.
- VAC Statement 450S amp (older version, before "iQ" auto-bias). This was definitely a splurge pickup. Decidedly an improvement over the VAC 200iQ monos.
- Rogue Hera II preamp. Re-bought this. Used to be my preamp in prior iterations of the big rig. I really missed it, and it hits the spot here. It’s got its faws for sure, but in some ways I like its sound better than $20K - 30K preamps.
- SOTA Cosmos. The small rig poses significant energy-management issues for turntables. Finally had to give up on various Clearaudios and VPIs; they just won’t work here. The SOTA works beautifully!
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I made two big changes in 2023, streamer and amp, and none in 2024. Pretty much just bought tubes this year so will say biggest upgrade the NOS RCA 2a3s in my Wirght amps right now.
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Canton Reference 7 speakers..... McIntosh MC 1502....Chord Symphonic Phono Pre Amp
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LSA MicroZotl preamplifier is a true Audiophile bargain
the Innuos Zenith MK-3 does everything I could want from ripping to SS storage great interface that has a nice natural balance 3- LPS power supplies and designed vibration isolation ,
Focal Kanta a bargain built very well and look and sound good .
Tubulus audio cables totally unique in design and only use their brand for digital ,models Concentus and Ximius I2S cable hdmi strictly dedicated Audio without all the video wires .
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Grimm MU-1 streamer is a great piece of gear. Streaming quality really improved over my Roon Nucles.
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GT 3 Audioworks Planer Magnetics and Twin servo subs.
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Best addition was WiiM streamer units for a couple of the systems.
Otherwise, the best additions were subtractions of gear that had been lying about for a period of time.
Nice to have some breathing room on the shelves.
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1. Balanced Audio Technology (BAT) VK-80 tube preamp - Replaced my Holo Audio May KTE preamp.
2. GIK Diffusers behind my Magnepan speakers.
Both of these purchases brought my sound to a different level.
In April I will be attending the AXPONA show for the 4th year in a row and plan on doing a major speaker upgrade/purchase. Hopefully that will help me make a decision.
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Had an epiphany this year.
Power cables and power conditioners can make a much bigger improvement in SQ than components, even in relatively modest systems.
Upgraded to a Nordost QBase Reference power conditioner, which cost more than any of my components and more than my speakers, and my SQ rivals that of $750k systems I have heard.
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1. WE300B tubes for my Radu Tarta 300B amp
2. Soulnote A2 integrated amplifier, wow this was a ride.
3. magnariser aero stands for my LRS+
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Canton Reference 7K speakers. Took probably 250 hours + but have just blossomed into what may be the best pair of speakers I’ve ever owned.
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It was a great year…found my end game ….
Pass Labs XP-12 preamp
First Watt Sit-4 amp..(the best amp)
Denafrips Venus 12th anniversary dac
Magna Hifi Mano ultra mkIII with separate farad power supply streamer from the Netherlands..a raspberry pi design with Ropieee xl software…really sweet
Volti Audio Razz speakers…
‘this all matches up beautifully..
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The audio store I purchase from made me a great deal on a demo pair of KLH Model 5's in English Walnut finish. I have them connected to an Audio Research SP17 preamp and McIntosh MC-225 amp in my Den system. They sound fantastic.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Years!
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This year I upgraded the Linn LP12 I got in 2023 with the new Arko tonearm. This new Linn tonearm is quite impressive in terms of detail, openness and bass. This gave me the opportunity to hear the limitations of my Hana SL. So just before Christmas, I treated myself with a Pure Fidelity Stratos. It is a gem at this price point. The whole combination is excellent and I am rediscovering every single LP in my collection.
Happy new year!
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For me it was a lowly power supply upgrade. I opted for the Rega PSU for my planar 3 over the standard wall wart that came with the TT. I was pleasantly surprised with the improved sonic clarity and near zero noise floor of the Planar 3. Keep in mind I had upgraded from a lowly Audio Technica LP120 I had used for 15 yrs of casual listening and DJing. I think my next 2025 upgrades most likely will be the Rega phone stage and some new speakers. Although I still have an integrated amp upgrade in the pipeline so 2025 may turn out to be the best year yet for hi-fi upgrades.
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REL Carbon Special. I was dead set against adding a sub. I felt that the DeVore 096’s would not benefit from the addition of a sub. I was dead wrong. It’s set very conservatively but what an improvement. Absolutely fantastic!
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Brand spanking new, in box, NOS Luxman MQ-300.
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My favourite gear additions were. . . .
1. Aurender N100
2. Denafrips Iris
3. Denafrips Pontus II
That being said, since I got the new gear, my Musical Fidelity integrated has been in the shop for most of the time so I haven't spent hardly any time listening.
The people working on it, now for the second time, are currently closed for the holidays. I could hook everything up to my Anthem MRX520 avr that is filling in for the MF, but I would rather wait.
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1. Odyssey Audio mono bloc Kismet power amps greatly improved all aspects of sound quality from my Fyne F-702 speakers.
2. Silversmith Fidelium speaker cables made further marked improvements in sound quality.
3. The addition of two Rythmik Audio F12SE subwoofers corrected the lack of lower bass in my system—the Fyne F-702s have 8” woofers—and modestly but noticeably improved overall sound quality above the lower bass.
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PS Audio BHK signature preamp. I continue to be amazed at the improvements this quality preamp brought to my system.
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A Music Reference RM-5 Mk. IV, the final iteration of Roger Modjeski's phono and line stage pre-amp. I don't really need it, but thought it would be cool to have a complete Music Reference electronic chain (I own his RM-9, RM-10, and RM-200 power amps).
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Morrow Audio SP6 speaker cables. Even in my modest vintage equipment the improvement in clarity is very noticeable.
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Tried, and like very much, the SPL Performer S800
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Two changes that brought level up improvements:
Octave Audio Jubilee Preamp. I listened to a lot pf preamps and the Octave was the best to my ears by a significant margin-better everything
Professional room treatments. I was a bit skeptical-thought my room wasn't bad-but this made a big difference.
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Shunyata mains distributors - one Everest for the digital side and one Typhon T30 and Denali for the analogue side. It delivered major improvements in dynamics, spatial resolution and that elusive "it sounds real" quality.
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Audio Note Speakers - AN-J SE Hemp Silver model
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ARC Ref 160 Power Amp
ARC Ref 6 SE Pre Amp
Big year for me upgrade wise
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Nothing too sexy for me: Purchased the smallest REL sub made for my office system and replaced one of my old bluesound nodes with the latest node. The old one gave up the ghost.
You can find the N130 Node for $350. A great deal IMO.
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Lumin X1 in February... my vinyl front end has been disconnected since.
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PS Audio Direct stream dac mk2, Hi fi Rose streamer. Finished rebuild on Tyler Acoustic Halo Extreme speakers by adding crossovers made by Tony Gee of Humble homemade hifi. Mini DSP to control the 4 subs and 8 12" woofers. Just incredible at this point. I will update my system in profile. Happy New Year all.
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I received a wonderful TT and speakers as a gift from a member here. Won't name him, for purely selfish reasons. 
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Linear Tube Audio MZ2. I bought it used for a great price and got lucky to boot. It's one of the last ones built and the circuitry is closer to the MZ3. Just a beautiful sounding piece.
Bryston 3B Cubed. An upgrade to my Parasound A23+.
SVS PB2000 PRO Sub.
PD Creative LPS for my Node 2i.
Marchand Electronics Balanced HPF. Part of my experiment with low end control. No longer using it in favor of a another unit.
White Instruments Model 4856 Active Equalizer. This replaced the HPF. It has a HPF built in.
I also built new crossovers for my Vintage JBL 4311s.
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A PS Audio Airlens and DirectStream DAC Mk 1. I finally started streaming and this combo sounds great and made it easy.
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Wow, lots of nice new gear - congrats!
Much to my chagrin, I've had nearly no time for audiophilia this year. But, recently managed to pick up a mint Sutherland 20/20 phono pre to replace my Phonomena II. So far, with limited listening time not a huge difference but an upgrade IMO. Slightly smoother presentation and dead quiet. I think I'd like a little more oomph though. Maybe try a MC cart on my Rega p6? Or perhaps a tube pre?
Some nice vinyl finds also.
Looking forward to scrounging some more listening time in '25.
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New gear 2024
I have 2 systems.
System 1
Laiv Harmony DAC
Nordost speaker cables
Trident Ribbon Cable Elevators
System 2 - reference
Mola Mola Tambaqui DAC
Silversmith Fidelium biwire speaker cables (connected to Treo CTs)
Trident Ribbon Cable Elevators
Nordost cable loom
Nordost QBASE Mark III AC Distribution Unit
Furutech Ultimate Nano-Crystal Rhodium-Plated AC Duplex Receptacle
Furutech wall plate and outlet cover
Speakers Isolation system
speaker sliders
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I couldn’t find a used Linear Tube Audio Z40+ but did find an audio research i50, now looking to replace the tubes. 2025 >I’m thinking of Pure Audio Project Trio Classic Speakers and maybe my two year wait on a Decware amplifier will appear.
Houston I have a problem.
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1 Dynaudio Confidence 20 stand mount speakers which replaced Elac Adante AF-61 towers.
2 Luxman L-509Z Integrated Amplifier which replaced a McIntosh MA6500 Integrated Amplifier.
3 Jay’s Audio CDT2-MK3 CD transport which replaced an Audiolab CDT6000 transport.
4 Shunyata Hydra Triton power conditioner which replaced a Fuhrman Elite 15PFI.
5 Solidsteel HF5 audio rack which replaced a Salamander Archetype rack.
6 GIK Acoustics corner bass traps.
I did a major overhaul of my system in 2024 and finally arrived at my “End Game” system, at least for now 😁.
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Linear Tube Audio MicroZOTL level 2 preamp and Gustard X30 dac.
Also a clock, ddc, and various cables, but the preamp and dac were the biggest improvements.
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1. Aurender n150
2. Mcintosh c2700 tube preamp.
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1) Full system grounding with SR AG Block SE and loom of HD cables
2) SoundSmith Hyperion MR
3) SME 3012r tonearm (waiting on my custom mount to arrive to add as arm #3)
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Aurender N200 is an amazing improvement over Oppo 105. Adding the Triode Wire Labs "Passion" USB cable gives the most realistic digital I've ever had.
Thanks,
aldnorab
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